President Obama Grants Commutation for McKinney Man, Seven Others

According to a Merriam-Webster dictionary, a commutation is a change of a legal penalty or punishment to a lesser one. A pardon is an act of officially saying that someone who was judged to be guilty of a crime will be allowed to go free and will not be punished.

The President granted commutations to the following eight individuals:

Jason Hernandez – McKinney, TexasOffense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute and distribute crack cocaine and methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute a mixture of methamphetamine and cocaine hydrochloride; distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a protected property; establishing a place for manufacture and distribution of controlled substances (Eastern District of Texas)Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years supervised release; $5,000 fine (Oct. 2, 1998)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to 240 months (20 years)

Billy Ray Wheelock – Belton, TexasOffense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than five grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (Western District of Texas)Sentence: Life imprisonment, 10 years supervised release, $3,000 fine (June 9, 1993)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014

Clarence Aaron – Mobile, Ala.Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; attempt to possess cocaine with intent to distribute (Southern District of Alabama)Sentence: Life imprisonment, five years supervised release (Dec. 10, 1993)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 17, 2014

Kimberly Lynn Stout, formerly known as Kimberly Lynn Cooley – Bassett, Va.Offense: Bank embezzlement; false entries in the books of a lending institution (Western District of Virginia)Sentence: One day imprisonment, three years supervised release (including five months home confinement) (Nov. 9, 1993)